Ammo storage

[4040peters]

I live in a climate that gets very humid and have noticed some brass finished cartridges in sealed boxes that have corrosion spots on most of them. I just purchased a case each of 22 LR and .40 cal. and packaged most of each with a vacuum sealer. The 22LR was in plastic 100 round plastic boxes and I was able to package 500 rounds in each bag. The .40 cal. was in 50 round boxes and I put two in each bag. The 40. cal. boxes compressed a bit but the cartridges are supported by the case mouth and not the bullet. If the rounds were resting on the bullet nose, I would have used a piece of cardboard on the top of the boxes for support.

As far as keeping fingerprints and corrosion off reloads, use clean cotton gloves or better yet a barrier cream on your hands. I use pure lanolin as a barrier cream. The tiniest amount rubbed on your hands lasts a long time and requires some effort to remove. It is also a very good water repellant. The oil on your hands is most often acidic and could cause corrosion on unprotected metals like steel, brass, and copper. Most of us have seen corrosion fingerprints on shells we have handled

 

[CZ9Joe]

I don't live in an overly humid climate but I try to stick a bunch of desiccant packets in my ammo cans and the safe to help absorb moisture. I picked up a 50 pack of them at Amazon and they seem to be working well.

 

[Bake]

Place a cloth bag (1 Cup) of cat litter on top of the ammunition inside the ammo can...

 

[Brotherbadger]

t I try to stick a bunch of desiccant packets in my ammo cans and the safe to help absorb moisture.

Same. I find it just that extra bit of comfort when storing long term.

 

[22-rimfire]

I just keep the ammo in climate controlled storage environment and not worry about it. You can place your ammo inside a sealed box or mostly seal box and keep desiccant packs inside. Not hard to make a metal box essentially air tight.

 

[chrisintexas]

recommend ammo cans for ammo storage

 

[PT-92]

I keep my ammo in a secured cabinet and I use a mini-dehumidifier (rechargeable via AC outlet). These things are indispensable in combating a humidity problem and affordable to boot.

 

[wpsdlrg]

I live in the humid South myself (NC). I store my ammo in plastic "ziplock" type bags. I simply squeeze out as much air as possible, when sealing the bags. The bags go into lockable steel ammo cans.

I store my processed brass the same way (except for the ammo cans).

I've never had a problem with corrosion, or even tarnishing of the brass, for the most part. Even after months of storage, the brass looks the same as before (virtually the same, anyway). I have some rifle ammo for my Mauser, which I haven't used in quite awhile, in the bottom of one of the cans. Still looks "fresh" as the day I packed it !

Of course, I do store my ammo inside the house.....so that probably has something to do with it. Vacuum packing, for ammo to be stored for long periods in NON-climate controlled conditions, strikes me as a wonderful idea. But, for inside storage, it simply isn't necessary.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I vacuum seal all my ammo too. No need for the desiccant in the ammo cans then. Actually, there is no need for the ammo cans either, but I still use them.